WITH VIDEO -- Some e-mails are easier to deal with than others. When Ferrari's U.S. spokesman asked whether I had "some time free during the Pebble Beach weekend to drive a 458," I said that, yes, I think I had some time free for that. Even if it meant cutting short my time at the Concours d'LeMons, which was held that same day.

While other AutoWeek editors have driven the car and reported its specifics to you, I had not yet been behind the wheel. It would be hard to imagine a better car than the Ferrari F430, but I was willing to try.

As you know from reading my colleagues' reports, the 458 is the newest V8-powered mid-rear-engine Ferrari. It debuted at the 2009 Frankfurt show from a cleaner sheet of paper than Ferrari had perhaps ever cleaned. The chassis was still a bonded aluminum structure, as was the F430, but it had been stiffened and lightened in all the right places.

The engine was perhaps the most efficient normally aspirated powerplant ever made. It produces 570 hp from 4.5 liters of displacement without forced induction. Direct fuel injection, a crazy 12.5:1 compression ratio, a 9,000-rpm redline and numerous friction-reducing internal improvements make this one of the most amazing engines I've ever revved.

Ferrari lists 0-to-60-mph times in the low threes, not something most pilotes can achieve shifting themselves, so the 458 comes with automatic only. But what an automatic. The dual clutches of the seven-speed Formula One gearbox mean that Ferrari lists shift times at zero seconds. I can't even count that low. The shifts are howling fast, smooth and highly efficient.

The E-Diff 3 electronic differential is integrated inside the transmission case. The key letter there being E, as in electronic. Using the same ECU as the F1-Trac traction control, it tailors its function to either power off, for entering a corner, or power on for exiting so you no longer have to plan for the differential to grab at just the wrong moment.

Driving this wealth of technology is a smoother experience than any V8-powered Ferrari yet. Slotting the car through corners can be done more accurately than even the F430. Inputs that aren't necessary are muted, while precise grip through the wheel is described superbly by the inputs you do get. Some will say they liked the added road feel of earlier V8 Ferraris, but lap times around Fiorano are quicker with this setup, Ferrari says.

Unfortunately, my drive around Monterey was a bit more crowded than what you'd find at Fiorano. This was the busiest weekend of the year in these parts, so the actual performance I was able to glean was measured in small bursts where there was no traffic, no driveways and no leaping deer to interfere.

But what a feel. Steering ratio on the 458 is 11.9:1, compared with 16.9:1 on the 430. That makes perhaps the biggest difference in perceived cornering response. Or maybe it's the E-Diff. Or the magnetically controlled shocks. Or the whole thing together.

I couldn't decide which was better--the feel of the belt-loosening acceleration of the mighty V8 or the sound of that engine's refined roar. (The red heads of the valve covers are visible right behind the driver's head, though you probably shouldn't look while accelerating.)

The carbon-ceramic brakes exhibited none of the cold fade or squeaking of earlier systems, though I didn't ever really warm them up on the drive.

The 458 has so much to offer and does everything so much better than its predecessors, you really need a longer-term loan to give it a proper evaluation. Maybe we can get one in the West Coast office's long-term fleet? I will start waiting for that e-mail now.

Mark Vaughn
- After slumming in Europe five years covering F1 etc. Mark Vaughn interviewed with Autoweek at the 1989 Frankfurt motor show has been with us ever since because no one else will take him. Anyone?
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